Gaining Balance
by write-to-be-me
Summary: "Have you ever had to do something that you didn't want to? Like, it was either succeed or be killed?" Both Elsa and Hans need to find where they stand in the world, and perhaps the only way that they can figure that out is through each other.
1. Gaining a Prisoner

Elsa stood a few feet away from the bars that held the man who tried to kill her. Hans says on the shelf of a bench in his cell aboard the ship Orimo that was to deport to the Kingdom of Southern Isles later in the day. Her ice heels gleamed in the burning sun. Elsa had come down to the prisoner from her celebration of the summers return when one of the guards had informed her that Hans was begging to see her. She knew that he did not deserve the luxury that was providing him, but one thing that her winter storm fiasco taught her was communication is key. Against her better judgment she stood silently waiting for Prince Hans to speak.

He ignored her for a few moments. His head was bowed, he appeared to intently watching his hands wring around each other, the friction was the only sound to be heard outside of the tossing waves and the distant calls of men.

"Have you ever had to do something that you didn't want to? Like, it was either succeed or be killed?" Hans turned to look at Elsa. His green eyes were bright with fear, "By your own father?"

Elsa keep quiet. She glared into his eyes, deciding whether he was telling the truth or not. She did not want to be the cause of any death, even if it was deemed reasonable because of his actions towards her. And what was he talking about being forced to do something? She had been forced to wear her gloves as a child and stay away from outside contact, but that was for her own good—she was sure of it.

She made no hint responding to Hans, but pushed her lips together. Her shimmering cape danced behind her as she turned her back on Hans.

"Queen Elsa. Queen Elsa, please. Have mercy," Hans cried from behind the bars that he was now pressed against. Gone was the charismatic, charming prince, but instead man who was desperate for help.

Elsa whispered something into the guard's ear. The man nodded and headed towards the cell. Hans backed away from the bars, mystified that Elsa would actually halt his impending doom with his father in the Southern Isles. The rattle of rusty metal signified the door had been opened. Hans started to walk out, cautious as what was going to happen yet. The guard grabbed handcuffs from his satchel and placed them on Han's wrists.

Elsa turned back towards Hans. "You will be escorted to the dungeons. I shall retract my letter that I had written to the King and Queen of the Southern Isles, for now. Do not let anyone know of this current situation," she spoke to the guard more so than Hans.

"Your majesty, I would like to thank you. I know that," Hans started.

Elsa held up a hand to stop him. "I do not know whether to trust you are not. I will not knowingly take part in an execution that may or not be wrongly motivated. If I find that you are lying to me, I will not hesitate to send you to the Southern Isles along with a gift of a new sword to your kingdom."

Hans gulped, "And if I am right?"

The guard looked at Hans and then to the Queen, the woman seemed to be debating what to say. It looked as if she had only planned for the "if he's lying" part. It was not his place to budge in, but under Hans' rule the guards were well maintained and helped the kingdom out, he would have to inform the Queen of this for the "if he's telling the truth" outcome.

She continued, "If you happen to be telling the truth I shall release you. There will limitations of the release, but they will be conceived if, and only if, you appear to be telling the truth. And I will require you to be willing to go under interrogation."

"Of course my Queen."

"Guard Caulus, will you please escort this man to the dungeons, and make sure that no one sees him. Especially the Duke of Weselton."

"Of course, your majesty," the guard replied. He pushed Hans a bit forward. "Keep your head down."

"Thank you," Prince Hans whispered to Elsa before he left the shift with the guard.

Elsa watched as the two men made their way down the dock, passing by sailors that were busy at work and were ignoring the men. She let out a small breath that she was not aware that she was holding. Yet another thing for her to keep track of. She created a small snowball and threw it into the fjord, releasing some stress.

Before heading back to the castle, Elsa wrote a letter to the King and Queen of the Southern Isles:

_Dear Kingdom of the Southern Isles,_

_ I hope that you will not mind us keeping Prince Hans for the next fortnight, as he has brought much life into the castle in the short while that he has been here. Prince Hans reassures our kingdom that the bond between our two kingdoms must stay intact with one another, if not grow stronger. If Prince Hans will not be able to attend the rest of our celebration because of a previous engagement that he has not informed us of, please respond and we shall, sadly, give up his presence._

_Sincerely,_

_Queen Elsa of Arendelle_

Elsa read the letter through a few times until she was pleased with what she wrote, it sounded a bit informal for royalty but it filled all possible holes for Hans not returning. She gave the letter to the captain and explained that the prisoner would stay in Arendelle and there was to be no word mentioned about him.

When Elsa arrived back at the castle the frozen ice rink that she had created was melted away and only a few servants remained to clean up the mess that the crowds had left behind. She thanked each one before she went into the castle.

"Elsa, that was so wonderful. Can we do that every day? Oh, and next time with chocolate, yum," an over sugared Anna yelled down the stair case. She picked up the skirt of her dress and ran down the stairs two at a time before landing on the ground. "Please Elsa?"

Elsa gave her sister a small smile, which she tried to cover with her tiny hands. "I'd love to Anna, but real life will have to start again soon and I don't think that everyone can take their days off."

Anna's smile morphed into a frown. "Well, since you'll be busy then, can Kristoff stay with us? Please? And Sven too?" Anna bounced in a circle around Elsa, bubbling at the thought of being with others for days on end. She was going to have to introduce Kristoff to every painting that she talked to growing up, and then he could walk her around the town that was so mysterious to her. And maybe in the afternoons they could build snowmen and drink hot chocolate with Elsa when she was done with meetings and the like.

"Doesn't Kristoff have Official Ice Master duties?" Elsa commented, walking further into the castle. Her heels clicked on the stone floor, making an echo through the hallway.

"You're right," Anna complained, skipping behind Elsa. "You're going to have to do Queen things, Kristoff and Sven are ice harvesting, I'll have no one left."

"Olaf."

"Of course! We'll go wandering through the kingdom then. We can experience summer together considering it's been a while since I have," Anna said.

Elsa's stomach dropped a bit, _it's been a while_, that was because of her. Anna never did get to enjoy the outside world except the courtyard that housed a few ducks and swans. "Splendid," she choked out, "Olaf would love that. And perhaps we could have a picnic together tomorrow. I am sure that I will not have too much to worry about on my first day."

"I bet not. You'll do great on your first day," Anna said.

Elsa just smiled, but kept looking ahead. The doors to the library were coming nearer. Anna's soft footsteps stayed with Elsa's fast pace. "Is Kristoff leaving tonight?"

"I don't know. I'll have to ask him. He's been down with Sven since lunch. They have a weird relationship, but I think that it's really cute. Did you know that they've been together since Kristoff lost his real family?"

Elsa, most of the time, thought that Anna's insistent rambling was endearing; however, with Hans in the dungeons and the possibility that the Kingdom of the Southern Isles was encouraging it's princes to commit murder or seduce surrounding kingdoms to create binding alliances was unnerving. As was it something that might need to be brought up to the Coalition of Kingdoms as Elsa was sure that it broke some sort of rule. She needed the library to get some basic information before she started her private interrogation of Hans.

"Why don't you go invite him to spend the night here? The guest wing is all his as there is no one here anymore," Elsa said.

"They're gone? Really?"

"Yes, the ships left today for the Southern Isles and Weselton. That's why I had to leave the festivities, to make sure that they set sail without a hitch."

"Good. It gave me the creeps that they were still in Arendelle."

Elsa's face contorted. She felt guilty for not telling Anna the truth, but if there were bigger issues they had to be found. And if it was Arendelle that unmasked them, then they would try their hardest because with the news of sorcery alliances were weak and trade was worrisome. There were trails of ice were Elsa had stepped, making the floor slippery. Anna noticed that her sister was tense and ran up.

"Don't worry about the council tomorrow you'll do great. I love you," she wrapped her arms around her sister and squeezed tight. She nuzzled into the crook of Elsa's neck, "Can you defrost the floor?"

Elsa fell into the hug. She put her hands on Anna's encircling arms and gave a squeeze back at her. "Do what to what?"

"You left a trail of ice. It's a good thing Han's isn't around now, it'd be super easy to find ya'," Anna said.

Ignoring the last comment, Elsa closed her eyes. _Clear your mind, you are loved. Anna and Olaf love you._ The ice melted away leaving puddles of water. She made it to the doors of the library, which were large pieces of old wood that were intricately designed with elaborate carvings of Arendelle history and mythology showcasing the importance of knowledge. She turned around to face Anna, "Anna, I need to read through a few books before I start tomorrow."

"Okay, let's get to work. I know that you've probably read them all by now," Anna said, walking beside Elsa and pushing the door in.

"I need to do this alone."

Anna stopped pushing. She looked at Elsa. Her eyes were closed, and her hands rested on the handles of the doors. Anna knew that her sister was still having trouble adjusting to the realm of people, but she wanted to be there for her. It was hard for Anna to watch Elsa struggle and not be there to comfort her. She put on a smile. "That's alright. I bet that you'll get done in no time. I'll go find Kristoff and go tell him about his room. Then we can go get some chocolate from the kitchen. I don't think Kristoff has ever had chocolate. Isn't that strange? I think that everyone should have chocolate, don't you? Oh! We should make a national chocolate day and give chocolate to _everyone_ then they will have had that experience. I don't think chocolate costs that much so I don't think that it would be a problem," Anna rambled down the hallway towards the stalls. Her voice echoed down the halls.

Elsa giggle as she watched her sister bounce down the hallway talking to herself. When she could no longer see nor hear Anna she pulled open the doors. The scent of old tomes was heavy in the air. Elsa quickly brought herself into the room, and went to the far corner where there were volumes about the histories of the neighboring kingdoms.

"Corona, Weselton," Elsa listed to herself gazing over the titles of the books. "Ah, Southern Isles."

She placed the large tome on the table that stretched the length of the room. She creaked open the leather bounded pages, a small cloud of dust emerged from the pages making Elsa sneeze. She flipped through the pages of history about the isles and the family that ruled it, that was until she got to the current King.

_King Mitus was originally the third in line for the throne; however, his elder brothers, Arcan and Giles, suffered tragic endings before they could reach the throne. He married the Princess of Silivia and has thirteen sons. King Mitus is known for his strict ruling, buildup of military, ability to make strong family alliances, and abundance of sons._

The rest of the three pages described the economic status of the Southern Isles for the rule of Mitus, which statistics of the prices of items over the years and detailed descriptions of the advances in technology.

She skimmed through the Corona and Weselton books as well, searching or any mention of King Mitus or his twelve sons. There was nothing. Elsa ran through the pamphlets that belonged to the Coalition of Kingdoms, with nothing but mention on their excellent military to keep peace. Elsa let out a sigh of disbelief. Not a single mention of any alliances through marriage.

Not wanting to rely entirely on the information from books written over a decade ago, she needed more information. Elsa rang for her closest servant, Kai. While she waited for him to arrive she put the books back into place arranging them so that they were perfectly in line with one another and in alphabetical order unlike they were before she got them out. Looking at the other books Elsa realized that there was little organization to their placement, something was going to have to be done about that, but not for a longer time as there were more pressing issues at hand.

There was a quiet knock at the door.

"Come in, Kai," Elsa said backing away from the shelves and stepping into the center of the room.

Kai slowly opened the door and slid in, "Your majesty?"

"Would you be able to supply me with more books about the Kingdom of the Southern Isles? And perhaps the laws of the Coalition of Kingdoms?"

"Yes, your majesty," Kai replied. He was curious as to what Elsa was needing the books for, but knew that there was little reason for him to snoop. Kai's chestnut hair was highlighted with streaks of grey, the only indication that he was starting to age. He had served Elsa's father and had watched the sisters grow up separated. He tried to comfort the new Queen when she was young, but she had always shut him out as she did everyone but her father. Kai was thrilled that Elsa was starting to take initiative towards the kingdom's alliances and looking into the workings of it all. Her father had been looking into similar ideas before his death. "Is there anything else that you need?"

"Only that you do not inform anyone else in the castle, especially Anna. She has dealt with enough lately and I would rather not frighten her with large books," Elsa tried to joke.

Kai cracked a smile and nodded.

"Thank you, Kai. I have a feeling that I'll be calling for you more frequently in the near future."

"It would be my honor Queen Elsa."

Elsa smiled and ran her fingers through her hair. She folded her hands together, standing quietly looking at Kai.

"Oh, I shall leave you, your majesty. Please ring if you need anything else," Kai remarked before leaving the room.

There were icicles hanging from the curtains that surrounded the large window. Elsa saw them. "This is going to be harder than I thought."


	2. Gaining Advice

**Hello readers! I never did give a proper hello to you all reading this, so Salutations! Greetings! Welcome to my story! I just wanted to let you all know that I do not own Frozen or any other Disney things that I might refer to. Also, this is my interpretation of the characters whether you all think it to be the correct route or not, it is mine. I like Hans, he's extremely complex and who doesn't like sideburns? (Rhetorical question, unless you do then go ahead and spread the love;)) Well, enjoy the next chapter!**

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The members of the council droned on for hours. Elsa knew that ruling a kingdom was going to be a difficult task, but not one of persevering listening. Two men, Timothy and Julis were the co-heads of the council and they talked enough for all ten members.

"Queen Elsa, you will also need to discuss the growing concern of the council of finding a new trade partner to fill the void of Weselton," Julis said. His large stature loomed over Timothy, who stood a foot shorter and probably weighed as much as one of Julis' legs. Besides the height and weight difference the two men looked uncommonly similar. Both of them had large noses that took up a majority of their faces, although Timothy had more of a hooked nose and Julis a rounded one. Timothy had curly greying hair that grew out instead of down like most hair. Julis had dark hair that was pulled into a low pony tail with a crisp white ribbon, although it was out of fashion.

"Couldn't we just find a new kingdom to trade with?" Elsa said, pinching her leg to keep her eyes awake. What she would give to have Anna come in and bring a little life to the council.

"Easier said than done, your majesty. You see there are delicate balances between the kingdoms with alliances, and seeing that we have already cut the tie with one of our most treasured and necessary," Julis looked down his large nose at her, "partners we cannot afford to lose any more."

Julis made Elsa's stomach swirl with guilt. He made it seem as if she had meant for the Duke of Weselton to try to kill her, and as if she did the wrong thing for breaking off trading with a kingdom that did not trust her nor the tact approach the fact. And his men nearly killed her. _If it weren't for Hans_… she shook off the thought. Her mind drifted to the dungeons. Was he planning his revenge on her and using the stay in the castle as a vantage point for attack? Or was he truly thankful for being in the dungeons and not on his trip back? Was there a between?

"Queen Elsa?" Timothy finally said, his voice an octave higher than Julis'.

"Oh, I apologize. I am afraid that I was not listening to your wonderful plans. Can you repeat what you just said?" Elsa said, trying to win them over although failing miserably. She had read through most of the books that were in the house, especially on the topic of trade and foreign affairs because it interested her, but with the council creating these side issues that she thought were unnecessary there was a dim outlook on the ability to move forward for Arendelle.

"Of course your majesty. Julis was just saying that there are few places that are in need of what Arendelle can supply. Our range of travel is small due to the melting of our major export—ice, and seeing as the places that need ice are warm it doesn't mix. We grow some wheat, but not enough to solely supply ourselves with," Timothy responded, once again making Elsa feel like a small child who had done everything wrong. She did know about the exports of the kingdom. She avidly read reports on the outturn of crops and the successes with trading.

"Indeed," Elsa said, pulling her lips tight together. The room was starting to cage in on her. _Conceal, don't feel. This isn't the time nor place. Impress them don't scare them._

"With the sudden change in temperature there is no telling what kind of condition our crops will be in this year. Our need for trade is increasing while our supply is decreasing," Julis urged.

Each beady, little eye fell on Elsa. Some were full of sympathy for bringing up a painful part of her past while others were more blameful as if she wanted to create the storm. "I think that we have covered enough for today, seeing as no results will come from this session I call this to an end. Thank you, I need time to think upon what you all have told me." Elsa rose, her dressing twinkling in the light from the window that overlooked the entry way into the castle where Elsa's ice festivities had occurred the day before.

"Queen Elsa, before we call this to an end, please, we would like to urge you to partake in more public appearances. The town's people are apprehensive about your rule since the freeze," another member, Helga, said.

"Thank you for your opinion. I shall also take this into consideration. Until next meeting," Elsa said. Turning and leaving the room anger burning inside of her. She closed her eyes, keeping small tears from escaping the sides. _They'll never see me cry._

Subconsciously, Elsa made her way down the hall, ignoring the passing by servants who would cringe to the side of the hall away from her. She didn't care. They were still afraid of her and her powers. The Duke of Weselton ingrained it into their minds that she was an evil sorceress. She was out of her room, but she still was not free.

Elsa made a turn down a dark hallway. It grew moist the further down that she went. The stench of sea water rose as she descended. Cold water dripped from the above stone and dried salt residue encircled the leak. The light dimmed as the windows became small gashes at the top of the grey stone wall.

A large wooden door stood at the end of the hall. It had large black metal that ran the width of the door and had multiple locks on it, none of which were actually in use. Elsa pushed on the door—it didn't budge. She tried a little harder, although not giving her one hundred percent effort. She let out a small grunt. Still the door did not move an inch. She pulled her sleeves back to her elbows, backed up a few feet, and ran into the door with her left shoulder taking all the force. Nothing.

Sliding down to the ground Elsa grabbed her shoulder in pain. Small tears trickled down her face. Nothing was going her way today, the meeting was a collaborative Elsa you're doing everything wrong session, Anna was depressed because Kristoff went back to the mountains for a few days for ice collecting and the Hans issue still hadn't been addressed. Raising her hand she repeated the same actions as she had hear Anna do her entire childhood; _knock, knock, knock_.

A shuffling of feet came from behind the door. Elsa jumped back on her feet, losing balance for a moment before rocking back to stability. She brushed her hair back into the loose bun that it was in, a mix between isolation and freedom.

The door creaked open.

There stood the guard Caulus. "Sorry Queen Elsa, I was unaware of who was pounding against the door. I was afraid that it was someone who was not welcomed down here."

"It's quite alright, Caulus. I want to see Prince Hans," Elsa said, head held high attempting to keep her cover as a queen.

"Of course, your majesty," Caulus said holding open the door further. He bowed as she walked through the threshold into the dungeon.

Elsa's stomach turned when Caulus' bowed. She did not care for the formality that came with being a queen, but it was something that she had to embrace to keep her power.

The dungeon was dark. It too had the moist, cold air that dampened the previous hallway although this clung to her skin. This was the cold that dug into her. "Caulus, is there any way to make the dungeons warmer? Or perhaps less damp?"

"Your majesty that would require the installation of a few fireplaces or a new furnace. Both of which would be a feat to put down here. The prisoners are usually left to their misery as part of their punishment."

"I shall have to look into that. Thank you," Elsa replied curtly. She put that on her mental list of things to look into to bring Arendelle up to date with the other kingdoms because the council had done nothing to radical since her parents' deaths.

The two of them walked down the hall in silence with the echos of her heels and the thuds of his boots as the only sound. There was a cell that had some sunlight emitting from it, a warm welcome from the artificial light of the torches that lined the hallway.

"He's in there, your majesty," Caulus spoke, pointing at the cell of emitting light.

Elsa said nothing. She strutted past Caulus to the door that held Hans. She knocked, not wanting to walk in on him unannounced.

"Yes?" Hans' voice called from within the cell.

"I'm coming in," Elsa responded opening up the door after twisting the key that was left inside of the lock.

The room was similar to the one that she had been locked away in during the freeze. A single bed sat attached to the wall near the large window that overlooked the fjord, the only furniture in the room and it was occupied by Hans who was sprawled out on it.

"Made yourself comfortable?"

"It's the only thing that I can do," he joked back, a smile creeping on to his face. He was in a surprisingly good mood, but escaping death could do that to a person. He watched as Elsa shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, slightly swaying from her movement. "Would you care for the bed?"

"Oh, no thank you." A gleam took to Elsa's eye. She raised her arms, flicked her thin wrist while her palm pointed at the bare floor near the bed. A spiral of sparkling, silvery wisps danced from her hand. The small snowflakes compounded together to create an elegant chair, the legs composed of thick snowflakes as clear as crystal standing on top of each other. The seat was a slightly tinted a pale blue snowflake and the back rest of the chair was smooth the entirety of the back until it got to the top where there where it twirled towards the ceiling.

"Wow," Hans puffed, his breath making a small cloud in the air. He wrapped his arms around his body.

Elsa noticed his movements. She closed her eyes, remembering how happy Anna was skating yesterday. The temperature returned to normal.

Hans kept staring at the chair, a sparkle danced in his eyes at the sheer beauty of it. "I don't understand you Queen Elsa." He looked back at his chained hands.

"Hm?" she asked sitting down on her creation, carefully draping her cape to the side as not to sit on it. "What is there not to?"

"You create these beautiful objects—and you are truly talented—and you think that you should be locked up for it. Keeping something so useful hidden is the crime, not the act itself. I don't understand why you hate yourself every time that you build something new because you're obviously enjoying yourself. Why deny yourself the pleasure?" Hans said, finally looking at Elsa.

Elsa did not know how to respond. No one, not even Anna complimented her abilities or noticed that she hated herself for creating ice sculptures. "It makes others uncomfortable, and it would be selfish to indulge myself for the sake of others. I'm not you."

He laughed, "No, you're not. Although if I were you I would not be in this predicament. If I were you, I'd actually be useful to the Southern Isles, not some thirteenth son."

"Why?"

"Ice. There is very little ice there, and I'll tell you they need it. There are no ways to keep any food cool. The best we've got are large underground tunnels and storage rooms. The best in the world I've heard," Hans said, eyes glazing over in nostalgia of his home.

Elsa watched Hans, listening to someone who had actually made it out in the world, had left their bedroom. "Just your kingdom?"

"No. With a power like yours I'd be rich," Hans chuckled, "Kingdoms in the South would pay small fortunes for some relief."

"They would?" Elsa gasped, her hand wobbled against her chest from the idea that perhaps she could save her kingdom.

"Totally."

"Hans, I am willing to allow you to move from your cell to a more," she paused, making sure that he was paying attention, "comfortable location."

His auburn eyebrows popped up. He looked at her with his mouth scrunched and eyes full of curiosity, "Why?"

"I am willing to do this," she rose from her chair and walked over to the door, "if you will aid me with foreign affairs. I admit that I do not know much about the real outside world, but you do. If you help me, and if it turns out that you were put up to my sister and I's deaths, I will let you free."

"One hundred percent free, no limitations?"

"None, and maybe a new job with some benefits, seeing as the Southern Isles won't be too keen on letting their failure son back in?" she said hinting at the story that he was telling.

"What are these benefits?" Hans asked, he too standing at this point.

"Travel and generous pay. Only if things fall through correctly and you're not lying."

"Deal."

"I shall send a guard for you in the morning, but remember you are still a prisoner even with the move, and I will not hesitate to send you to the Southern Isles if you misbehave."

"Deal."

And with that Elsa left, leaving Hans standing with a genuine smile plastered on his face. She rested her body against the cold stone wall and placing a hand on her pounding forehead wondered what she signed herself up for.

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**I hope that you all liked it! If you did, you should really press that review button-it makes my heart swell with happiness that some one out there actually likes my writing and decides to take their time to read it instead of doing one of the five million other things you probably have to do. Or if there is something that you don't like, feel free to comment or PM me as well! I'm a big girl, I can take some advice! Or if you'd rather be silent, that's cool too, just keep reading:) I am going to try to update this about once a week or so. I don't think that it will become so elaborate story so finals and the writing shouldn't overlap but there's all the other tests and assignments in between that might push me back a bit (if I take too long, please PM me if you really want me to update. Sometimes I forget and a nice little note definitely jogs the memory).**

**Thanks for reading! And I hope to talk to you all next chapter!**


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